Catharsis
by ChainOfThunder666
Summary: A boy who doesn't like Pokemon gets thrown out of his house to become the Champion. Shenanigans ensue. Contains mild violence, cursing and (in the future) lemons.
1. Chapter 1

I was woken with a start by the family Fletchling crashing into my bed, trying to wake me up. Alas, it suceeded, and I groggily dragged myself out of bed, muttering profanities under my breath.

"Sorry, Jack, but you weren't responding! I did what I thought best." She said, landing on her perch next to my desk.

"I know, but I reserve my right to be pissed off." I asked her to turn around as I slipped out of my pajamas and into my usual outfit, consisting of some boots, jeans, and a blue jacket. "Oh, goodie. Today is the day I get booted out of the house and sent off to Arceus-knows-where to get killed." I murmured, putting on my cap and bag, slipping my sleeping bag and some bandages into it. "Meanwhile, you get to stay at home and do whatever."  
"Look on the bright side, Jack! You get to go out into the world and make some new friends! Meet new Pokemon! Have an adventure!"  
"Oh, pack it in!" I shouted, putting my glasses on and blinking a few times. "You know I don't even like Pokemon!"

"Hey! You keep me around, don't you?" She stared me dead in the eyes. My throat dried up.  
"Th-that's different!" She chuckled, gliding over to my shoulder and resting on it. "What the hell are you doing." She lightly slapped my cheek with one of her wings.  
"If you really don't like Pokemon, then you won't let your favourite little bird join you on your journey." She teased, not willing to get off of me. "But we both know that you're lying." She taunted.

"Look, Cinder." I said, smiling at her. "I keep you around because I don't view you as a Pokemon. I view you as a friend, nothing less, nothing more. Okay?" I saw the light in her eyes dwindle a little when I finished my sentence.

"Okay, fine. Though, if your mother is gonna make you take the Pokemon League Challenge, then you'll need a lot more Pokemon than me to get anywhere. You'll have to get over your bias in due time." I sighed, approaching the stairs and sliding down the banister.

"Ah, there you are! Have a nice sleep?" My mother shouted from the living room.

"Indeed I did, until you sent Cinder to suicide-bomb me!" I shouted in retort. In my effort to come up with an appropriate insult, I was interrupted by a knock at the door. I sighed and opened it, and was quickly dragged outside.

"Shauna, you could've been a little bit gentler with that, you know. We wanted to get him outside, not give him a heart attack!" One of the strangers shouted at their friend.

"Sorry! I'm just excited!" Shauna yelled at the other one.

"Can someone please explain to me what the fuck is going on here?" I shouted over the bickering girls, garnering their attention. "Who are you people?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm Serena, and the nutter who dragged you out the door is Shauna." The less-crazy one said, shaking my hand. "What's your name?"

"I'm Jack. Now, state your business here." I replied, looking over at Shauna, who seemed to be trying to work out what I had said meant.  
"Your mother told the professor in Lumiose City that you were going to be taking the Pokemon League challenge, so he asked me to give you a Pokemon. Shauna's here because ... I don't know, to be honest. She just wanted to 'get a Pokemon and make some memories'." Serena told me, looking over at her dumbfounded friend. "How old are you, anyway?" All I could think was 'What the hell kind of question is that?', but against my better judgement, I gave an answer.

"I'm 15. If we're already diving into the personal questions, how old are you two?"  
"16. Shauna's 11, even if she acts more like she's 5." Serena replied calmly. "It seems that I don't exactly need to give you your own Pokemon. You've got that Fletchling there." I looked over at Cinder, who seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, and decided to answer the question that she was obviously mulling over.

"Oh, Cinder's not my Pokemon. She's just a pet." Serena seemed satisfied with my answer.

"Fair enough. Come on, then. I've got some friends in the next town over who can give you a proper Pokemon." She grabbed my free shoulder and forcibly dragged me through the town gate, past the barren Route 1, and into Aquacorde Town.

When I was able to push Serena off of me and use my legs, I was stopped from walking away by a call from a boy sitting near a cafe.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, what now?" I turned around to see Serena and Shauna sat at the same table, along with the yelling fat child and a smaller boy who seemed to want to make himself scarce.

"Hey, Jack! Come on over!" Shauna yelled, waving like she was going crazy. Reluctantly, I trudged over and sat at the empty seat.

"Okay, now that we're all here, I have some gifts." Serena called to us, pulling out four Pokedexes and handing them to her friends, stopping before handing one to me. "Jack, this is a-"

"I know what a damn Pokedex looks like, Serena. I'm not completely inane." I shouted, Serena giving me a frown, the pudgy kid laughing, Shauna looking at the smaller kid confusedly.

"Fine then. Okay, Shauna, I have three Pokemon in my bag for you two. Since Jack seems to have the most experience with this stuff, he can have first choice." She pulled out a glass case with three Pokeballs inside, labeled Chespin, Froakie and Fennekin. I didn't even think. I grabbed the Froakie with a quick snatch. Serena looked bewildered. "Well, that was quick ... and a little rude. I'll take the Chespin, Shauna can have the Fennekin." Shauna audibly whined, taking the last Pokemon from the glass case, before sending out her fire-fox and doing a complete 180.

"Oh my Arceus, he's so cute~!" She screamed, picking up the terrified fox and drawing it into a visibly painful hug. I stifled a laugh before turning back to face the two boys I had yet to talk to.

"So, what are your names?" I asked the duo."  
"I'm Tierno, and that's Trevor." Tierno answered, gesturing to the cowering kid next to him. "He doesn't talk much. Like, at all." He laughed his annoying laugh again.  
"Um, sure. Now, if Shauna has finished 'squeeing', I think I'm gonna take my leave." I got out of my seat, walked away from all the commotion and, at Cinder's instruction, sent out my Froakie.

"Hello, Froakie." I said to the frog in front of me, trying to feign a smile at the worried frog.

"Um ... hello, human. I suppose that you're my new trainer?" I nodded. She seemed to calm down a little. "Well, you don't look too bad. What's your name?"  
"Jack. I hope we can get along." She looked at me quizzically.  
"So, you're one of those humans who can talk to Pokemon?" I nodded slowly, not wanting to scare her. "I suppose you're going to give me a new name now?"  
"Nope." I replied, to her surprise. "You can tell me your own name, and I'll call you that."

"R-really? Thanks, human. My name in Shinobi." I used my thumb and index finger to gently shake her small right hand, but she quickly pulled away from me. "What are you doing to me, human?"  
"It's called a handshake. It's a social greeting, nothing else. Don't be scared. Also, I'm giving you the courtesy of calling you by your own name, so please extend the courtesy to me." She looked at me apologetically.

"Sorry, um, Jack. Who's the Fletchling on your shoulder?"

"I'm Cinder!" She stated proudly, before I could give a response. "I hope we can be the best of friends!" Shinobi looked at her judgingly, before returning her gaze to me.

"I suppose that she's a house Pokemon, then?" I nodded my reply to her. "No wonder she's so friendly. Also, Jack, your friends are waiting for you." I looked back to see Shauna waving at me.  
"Bloody hell. Shinobi, be on your guard. I know what comes next." I walked back over to Shauna, who had put her Fennekin back in its ball and was jumping around like a toddler about to wet themselves.

"Hey, Jack!" I flinched at her ear-piercing voice. "You're gonna be my opponent in my first ever Pokemon battle!" 

I sighed at her before agreeing, against my better judgement, to her challenge. She jumped for joy and threw her Pokeball at the ground, releasing her terrified Fennekin. Before I could say anything, Shinobi had appeared in front of me, adopting a fighting stance.

"Please, Shinobi. Don't do this. I don't want to be this girl's Pokemon. If I battle you, she'll never let me go." The Fennekin whispered to her friend.

"I'm sorry, Vix. This is how things have to be. I wish they didn't, but that's how it's gone. I kinda like this human. I don't want to disappoint him." She replied, leaving me confused and somehow, a little pleased. Vix sighed and nodded.

"I see. Just, don't hurt me too badly." He whispered back, running away and taking on his own stance.  
"Okay, Kinniekins, use Ember!" Vix sighed at the degrading name and used all his might to conjure a small fireball and fire it at Shinobi, who punched through the flaming projectile with ease. "Oh no! I'm wide open!" Shauna mumbled, grabbing both sides of her face.  
"Good defense, Shinobi." I said to the frog in front of me, who nodded weakly. "Now, give it a Bubble." I informally commanded. Shinobi muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like 'Sorry' and shot a barrage of watery projectiles at the Fennekin. He didn't make any effort to dodge or defend against them, simply standing his ground and letting himself get hit by the bubbles, which burst on contact and coated him in water, which caused him to collapse on the ground with a pitiful groan.

"Oh no! Kinniekins! Get up!" Shauna shouted at Vix, who gave her a death-stare before shooting a small Ember at the girl looming over her. "Ow! Bad Kinniekins! Back in the ball for you!" She pointed her Pokeball at him, dissolving him into energy and putting him inside. I looked down at Shinobi, who was shaking in fury at the girl.

"Something wrong, Shinobi?" I asked her, getting down on one knee in an effort to get down on her level. She looked back at me, some of her rage dissipating upon seeing my concerned face.

"I'm fine, Jack. It's just that humans like that girl disgust me. She treats him like a child. I can't stand her."

"It's the name, isn't it?" Shinobi nodded angrily. "Don't worry. I'll deal with it." I stepped toward Shauna, who was pouting like she was three years old and clicked my fingers in front of her face to get her attention. "Oi, Shauna. Got something to tell you."  
"Go away, you meanie!" She replied, punching my shoulder and crying a little.

"Shauna, your Pokemon doesn't like the way you treat him. He's a strong and proud creature, and you treat him like he's a kid."  
"Who are you to criticize the way she raises her Pokemon?" Serena yelled at me, walking over and staring me daggers. "She can raise her Pokemon the way she wants. She doesn't have to listen to your opinions."  
"It's not my opinion. Frankly, I don't give a crap. I'm going off of what Shinobi and Vix said." The two of them looked at me in confusion. "His name is Vix, by the way."  
"You should listen to him." Trevor whispered, having slunk into the conversation and uttered the first words I had ever heard out of him. I liked that kid. He seemed smart.

"How the hell do you two know any of that?" Serena shouted at me.

"Because I can talk to Pokemon, you dolt!" I told her, laughing internally at their confused faces.  
"Well, you're full of surprises. Come on, Shauna, we're leaving." Serena grabbed her friend and dragged her, kicking and screaming along the way. In her place, she had dropped two empty Pokeballs. I picked them up and pocketed them. In the corner of my eye, I saw Tierno ordering something from the cafe, completely oblivious to anything that had happened around him. Trevor slinked away, smiling weakly at me. Shinobi walked back up to me.

"Hey, Jack?" I looked down at Shinobi, who was smiling back at me. "Although I wish I was still back in the wild, if I'm going to have a trainer, I'm glad it's you." She hugged my leg, and I picked her up and hugged her back.

"I'm gonna put you back in your Pokeball, now. I need to have a private conversation with Cinder. Is that okay?" She nodded and hopped down to my bag, pressing the button on her Pokeball and going inside. I grabbed Cinder off my shoulder and put her on my arm, pulling out a Pokeball with my free arm.

"Well, for someone who says that they don't like Pokemon, you certainly have gotten quite close to Shinobi in a short time." Cinder teased, chuckling as I turned away in embarrassment.

"I don't quite know how I feel about her. It might be the same way I feel about you, but it feels ... different, somehow. I like her, but I don't have the foggiest which way."  
"I don't think I'll ever quite understand your distain for us. Getting back on topic, I see you're holding a Pokeball there." She gestured to the sphere I was holding in my spare hand.

"It's up to you. Unless you become my Pokemon, I can't take you any further. I'd prefer it if you joined me, but the choice is yours." She flew off of my arm and smiled down at me.

"Fair enough, but I want to do this properly." She landed on the ground and stared me down. "I want you to battle me first!" She tried to keep a serious expression, but she started smiling at me

again eventually.

"Well, if that's what you wan't, guess I've got no choice." I grabbed Shinobi's Pokeball from my bag and threw it to the ground, sending her out.

"I'm guessing that you two have finished talking?" She asked me, looking over at Cinder.

"I suppose you could say that. Now, this may sound odd, but I need you to battle against Cinder." She considered the meaning of what I had said.  
"What, we're training now?" I shook my head.

"Cinder wants to come along for the journey, but she also wants to battle you first." Shinobi quickly diverted all of her attention to Cinder and went back to her fighting stance.

"Ready, Cinder?" I shouted to the excited bird.

"Ready!"  
"Okay, Shinobi. Use Bubble." I calmly instructed her, looking on with pride as she held nothing back and forcefully launched a spray of bubbles at her opponent. Cinder took flight and dived toward her, going through the water like it wasn't even there and crashed into Shinobi, who was sent flying back. I reached out and caught her, but she was quite badly bruised. "Can you keep going?" She jumped out of my grasp and nodded. "Okay then, we're gonna use the direct approach. Use Pound, quick!" Shinobi dashed towards her avian foe and, anticipating it flying over her attack, jumped into the air and delivered a swift punch to her left wing. She crashed into the ground and was pinned by Shinobi. Seeing my chance, I threw a ball at the two of them. Shinobi jumped out of the way and the ball landed on Cinder, who was brought into it.

The ball didn't even shake. It just sat there and eventually made a loud beep, declaring that she had been caught. I walked over, rubbed the side of Shinobi's head as a reward and picked the ball up. I hoisted Shinobi onto my shoulder and smiled at her. She smiled back. I slowly walked off towards Route 2, feeling accomplished.

I took a few tentative steps through the route, hiding in some shrubbery and waiting for the people this world had decided would be my friends. Shauna, the one Shinobi and I hated the most, was the first to walk by, followed by Tierno, who had decided to ignore food for a little while, with Trevor close behind, almost melting into Tierno's back. Serena decided to be observant and noticed my hiding spot in the bushes, grabbing my by my jacket and pulling me out.

"Okay, Jack. I'm not gonna pretend like I know anything about you or the way you raise your Pokemon. All I'm asking is that you let Shauna handle Vix the way she wants." She told me sternly, with me being a little thrown off by what she had called Shauna's Pokemon.

"Fine. I'll just watch as Shauna ruins the lives of her Pokemon." Serena was about to make an outburst, but I interrupted her before she had the chance. "Why are you using Vix's proper name?" She sighed at me, before giving a small smile.

"I know that you can talk to Pokemon. After all, so can I." She threw her own Pokemon out, Chespin. "That's how I know that this little guy's name is Paladin." I looked over at Shinobi, who nodded in agreement.

"Hello there. You must be the one my trainer calls Jack." The Chespin stated.  
"Yeah. Nice to, uh, meet you, Paladin. So, Serena. If you can understand Pokemon too, why are you so adamant about letting Shauna train Vix like that?" I asked with a hint of anger in my voice. She returned Paladin to his Pokeball and looked at the ground.

"I know that what she's doing to Vix isn't exactly fair, but she's just a kid, Jack. It's not our place to criticize, even if we disagree with what she's doing." She stage-whispered to me, before walking away. She turned back to face me. "I hope we can be friends, Jack. You seem nice." She smiled weakly before turning back and fleeing the scene.

Whilst training Shinobi and Cinder against some of the wild Pokemon in the area, and against one stupid kid and his Zigzagoon, I had some time to think about my relationship with my Pokemon. While it was true that I didn't like Pokemon, and that I wasn't taking the League Challenge of my own volition, I felt some sort of connection with my Pokemon. I couldn't describe it. I had long since realised I genuinely cared for Cinder despite my general disdain for Pokemon. My feelings revolving around Shinobi were ... something else entirely. She moved with a certain grace, her voice was calming, and despite that, she could still take care of herself. We seemed to have the same negative view of each others species, and yet both found exceptions. In that way, we were both like each other, and you know what they say - you're always attracted to those similar to-

"No! Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts!" I slapped my cheek, grateful that both Cinder and Shinobi were in their Pokeballs when I shouted at my incredulous thoughts. However, after reviewing my own thought patterns, I realised that if I was having these thoughts at all, then my feelings must have been genuine. Granted, I wasn't gonna bring this up to her, but it was nice to think about. Hugging her, kissing her, telling her how much I loved her, putting her on her back and ... I realised at that point that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to think about it after all. Once my deviant and illegal thoughts had gone, it was night-time and I was far, far away from Aquacorde. I sighed, realising that I was sleeping rough that night. I pulled a small tent from my bag and hammered in the pegs, pitching the tent, and with the return of my horrible thoughts, pitching a second tent somewhere else entirely. Once the tarp was down and my sleeping bag and pillow were out, the other tent was gone and I considered it safe to grab my two Pokeballs out of my bag and send Cinder and Shinobi out.

"Okay, you two." I told them, getting down on one knee to talk to them properly. "I'm gonna let you two work out the sleeping arrangements between yourselves. I'm off to fix dinner." I stepped back into the tent and emptied my bag. I had brought some beans, spam, a few kinds of fish that I didn't want to begin to consider the source of, and a large bag of chocolates. Those were important. More important than any sort of fruit or vegetables, it seemed, as my mother had packed none of either the previous night. It wasn't like I would be able to work any sort of confectionary magic, anyway, as all I had were some bowls, plates, a knife, some forks and a camping stove. However, there were some sweet berries in the bottom of the bag, which I was eternally grateful for, as they were each quite large and would fill up the girls nicely. Speaking of the girls, while waiting for my dinner to cook on the crappy little stove, I could hear that their conversation had drifted away from the sleeping arrangements and had arrived at Cinder speculating that Shinobi harboured feelings for me.

"Be honest with me, Shinobi. You love him, don't you?" Cinder teased, making me double-take.

"N-n-n-n-"

"No? You don't? Because it seems that you do."  
"I don't! Honest!" She whispered, although it wasn't enough to stop me from hearing everything. "Cinder, why are you looking at me like that? I'm serious! Those thoughts would be wrong!" She objected, trying to get Cinder to believe her.

"Wrong, but not necessarily false." From the shadows cast on the tent, I could see Shinobi recoil in horror. "I know your secret. Don't worry. I won't tell." She said, Shinobi sighing with relief.

"I don't know why I feel these feelings, Cinder. I mean, I know why I like to be around him. He's kind, he looks after us, and unlike those other humans, his , erm ... 'friends', he actually knows what he's doing. The fact that he's one of those humans who can understand us probably helps. However, I don't know how those feelings of 'like' have transformed into feelings of 'love'." She explained, occasionally looking at the tent to see if I was listening in on her. "I need your help, Cinder." She pleaded.

"Well, I can't make you fall in love with someone else, I can make sure that you have some more confidence in case you ever work up the courage to explain to him how you feel. Normally, Jack doesn't actually like Pokemon, but-"  
"How is that moral support?" She yelled, quickly covering her mouth and looking back at the tent.

"Let me finish. But, he feels something different about you and I. He's told me that he sees me as a friend, not a Pokemon. However, he told me during our private conversation that he liked you too, but in a different way." Shinobi perked up. "A way he can't explain. Take that as you will. In my opinion, I think that means he loves you back. Just know, if you ever need someone to talk to, share your feelings with, or need help when you confess how you feel about him, I'll be there." She said, wrapping a wing around her.

"Thanks, Cinder. I know we haven't known each other long, but I think that we're gonna be good friends." She told her in a low voice. "I'm not gonna tell him how I feel yet. Maybe I'll wait until I evolve. Maybe I won't tell him at all - I'm still not sure if I want to stay as a trained Pokemon or not. I might end up asking him if I can be released into the wild." She sighed and sat down, wallowing in her thoughts.

Thinking it was safe, and the food being done, I poked my head out of the tent and yelled to the girls that it was dinnertime. They walked into the tent and set down, eyes lighting up upon seeing the Pecha berries.  
"Eat as many as you want, girls." I told them with a smile, looking on as they tore the bag open and grabbed one each, eating them with extreme gusto. Meanwhile, I was indulging in a dish of spam and beans. Not the most extravagant of dishes, but it would have to do until I could get to a shop in the next town. All I knew is that I was going to have to rush to Santalune City the next day. I polished off the salty and not-at-all healthy dish within time,wishing I hadn't even touched them and opened the bag of chocolates. when I offered them some, they were more than happy to accept the confectionary. I didn't blame them. Who would turn down free food? We enjoyed an entertaining night of swapping scary stories and daring each other to do stupid things, culminating in them managing to convince me to eat one of their Pecha berries. I stupidly accepted the dare, thinking that someone must have laced my dinner in all kinds of alcohol, and grabbed one of them, stuffing it into my mouth and biting into it.

I instantly regretted every life choice.

I ran outside the tent and threw up my dinner, and possibly every other meal I had eaten since the age of 9, into a nearby bush, listening to the girls laughing their asses off. I joined in on their laughter after realising I had vomited on a sleeping Zigzagoon, which ran off to Arceus-knows-where. I got back into the tent after wiping the rest of it from my mouth and rubbing my hand into as many scented flowers as possible. The laughter quickly died down when I brought up the sleeping arrangements.

"So, where are you two sleeping?" I asked, flattening out my sleeping bag.

"Well," Cinder started. "I was gonna sleep on the tarp and rest my head on the pillow."  
"Fair enough." I turned to face Shinobi. "Where are you gonna sleep?"  
"I'll tell you once you're in your sleeping bag." I gave her a funny look, but nodded anyway. "Turn away, you two." I said, starting to slip out of my clothes. Cinder gave an immature grin but turned away regardless. Shinobi, however, seemed to be determined to turn around and get a look at me getting undressed. I knew she was doing it, and I knew why she was doing it. It didn't matter to me. I already knew how she felt about me. The only problem was that she didn't know that. Luckily, I was able to avoid asking any awkward questions and told the girls that it was safe once I had gotten into my sleeping bag and had the pillow under my head. Cinder collapsed onto the ground and put her head onto the pillow.

"Okay, Shinobi, I did what you asked. So, where are you going to be sleeping tonight?" I asked her. She answered with her actions, jumping onto me and curling up on my lap. "Well, okay then. Goodnight, Cinder." She chirped in response, drifting off to sleep. "Goodnight, Shinobi."  
"Goodnight, Jack." She whispered, smiling and falling asleep, as did I.


	2. Chapter 2

I took a few tentative steps through the route, hiding in some shrubbery and waiting for the people this world had decided would be my friends. Shauna, the one Shinobi and I hated the most, was the first to walk by, followed by Tierno, who had decided to ignore food for a little while, with Trevor close behind, almost melting into Tierno's back. Serena decided to be observant and noticed my hiding spot in the bushes, grabbing my by my jacket and pulling me out.

"Okay, Jack. I'm not gonna pretend like I know anything about you or the way you raise your Pokemon. All I'm asking is that you let Shauna handle Vix the way she wants." She told me sternly, with me being a little thrown off by what she had called Shauna's Pokemon.

"Fine. I'll just watch as Shauna ruins the lives of her Pokemon." Serena was about to make an outburst, but I interrupted her before she had the chance. "Why are you using Vix's proper name?" She sighed at me, before giving a small smile.

"I know that you can talk to Pokemon. After all, so can I." She threw her own Pokemon out, Chespin. "That's how I know that this little guy's name is Paladin." I looked over at Shinobi, who nodded in agreement.

"Hello there. You must be the one my trainer calls Jack." The Chespin stated.  
"Yeah. Nice to, uh, meet you, Paladin. So, Serena. If you can understand Pokemon too, why are you so adamant about letting Shauna train Vix like that?" I asked with a hint of anger in my voice. She returned Paladin to his Pokeball and looked at the ground.

"I know that what she's doing to Vix isn't exactly fair, but she's just a kid, Jack. It's not our place to criticize, even if we disagree with what she's doing." She stage-whispered to me, before walking away. She turned back to face me. "I hope we can be friends, Jack. You seem nice." She smiled weakly before turning back and fleeing the scene.

Whilst training Shinobi and Cinder against some of the wild Pokemon in the area, and against one stupid kid and his Zigzagoon, I had some time to think about my relationship with my Pokemon. While it was true that I didn't like Pokemon, and that I wasn't taking the League Challenge of my own volition, I felt some sort of connection with my Pokemon. I couldn't describe it. I had long since realised I genuinely cared for Cinder despite my general disdain for Pokemon. My feelings revolving around Shinobi were ... something else entirely. She moved with a certain grace, her voice was calming, and despite that, she could still take care of herself. We seemed to have the same negative view of each others species, and yet both found exceptions. In that way, we were both like each other, and you know what they say - you're always attracted to those similar to-

"No! Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts!" I slapped my cheek, grateful that both Cinder and Shinobi were in their Pokeballs when I shouted at my incredulous thoughts. However, after reviewing my own thought patterns, I realised that if I was having these thoughts at all, then my feelings must have been genuine. Granted, I wasn't gonna bring this up to her, but it was nice to think about. Hugging her, kissing her, telling her how much I loved her, putting her on her back and ... I realised at that point that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to think about it after all. Once my deviant and illegal thoughts had gone, it was night-time and I was far, far away from Aquacorde. I sighed, realising that I was sleeping rough that night. I pulled a small tent from my bag and hammered in the pegs, pitching the tent, and with the return of my horrible thoughts, pitching a second tent somewhere else entirely. Once the tarp was down and my sleeping bag and pillow were out, the other tent was gone and I considered it safe to grab my two Pokeballs out of my bag and send Cinder and Shinobi out.

"Okay, you two." I told them, getting down on one knee to talk to them properly. "I'm gonna let you two work out the sleeping arrangements between yourselves. I'm off to fix dinner." I stepped back into the tent and emptied my bag. I had brought some beans, spam, a few kinds of fish that I didn't want to begin to consider the source of, and a large bag of chocolates. Those were important. More important than any sort of fruit or vegetables, it seemed, as my mother had packed none of either the previous night. It wasn't like I would be able to work any sort of confectionary magic, anyway, as all I had were some bowls, plates, a knife, some forks and a camping stove. However, there were some sweet berries in the bottom of the bag, which I was eternally grateful for, as they were each quite large and would fill up the girls nicely. Speaking of the girls, while waiting for my dinner to cook on the crappy little stove, I could hear that their conversation had drifted away from the sleeping arrangements and had arrived at Cinder speculating that Shinobi harboured feelings for me.

"Be honest with me, Shinobi. You love him, don't you?" Cinder teased, making me double-take.

"N-n-n-n-"

"No? You don't? Because it seems that you do."  
"I don't! Honest!" She whispered, although it wasn't enough to stop me from hearing everything. "Cinder, why are you looking at me like that? I'm serious! Those thoughts would be wrong!" She objected, trying to get Cinder to believe her.

"Wrong, but not necessarily false." From the shadows cast on the tent, I could see Shinobi recoil in horror. "I know your secret. Don't worry. I won't tell." She said, Shinobi sighing with relief.

"I don't know why I feel these feelings, Cinder. I mean, I know why I like to be around him. He's kind, he looks after us, and unlike those other humans, his , erm ... 'friends', he actually knows what he's doing. The fact that he's one of those humans who can understand us probably helps. However, I don't know how those feelings of 'like' have transformed into feelings of 'love'." She explained, occasionally looking at the tent to see if I was listening in on her. "I need your help, Cinder." She pleaded.

"Well, I can't make you fall in love with someone else, I can make sure that you have some more confidence in case you ever work up the courage to explain to him how you feel. Normally, Jack doesn't actually like Pokemon, but-"  
"How is that moral support?" She yelled, quickly covering her mouth and looking back at the tent.

"Let me finish. But, he feels something different about you and I. He's told me that he sees me as a friend, not a Pokemon. However, he told me during our private conversation that he liked you too, but in a different way." Shinobi perked up. "A way he can't explain. Take that as you will. In my opinion, I think that means he loves you back. Just know, if you ever need someone to talk to, share your feelings with, or need help when you confess how you feel about him, I'll be there." She said, wrapping a wing around her.

"Thanks, Cinder. I know we haven't known each other long, but I think that we're gonna be good friends." She told her in a low voice. "I'm not gonna tell him how I feel yet. Maybe I'll wait until I evolve. Maybe I won't tell him at all - I'm still not sure if I want to stay as a trained Pokemon or not. I might end up asking him if I can be released into the wild." She sighed and sat down, wallowing in her thoughts.

Thinking it was safe, and the food being done, I poked my head out of the tent and yelled to the girls that it was dinnertime. They walked into the tent and set down, eyes lighting up upon seeing the Pecha berries.  
"Eat as many as you want, girls." I told them with a smile, looking on as they tore the bag open and grabbed one each, eating them with extreme gusto. Meanwhile, I was indulging in a dish of spam and beans. Not the most extravagant of dishes, but it would have to do until I could get to a shop in the next town. All I knew is that I was going to have to rush to Santalune City the next day. I polished off the salty and not-at-all healthy dish within time,wishing I hadn't even touched them and opened the bag of chocolates. when I offered them some, they were more than happy to accept the confectionary. I didn't blame them. Who would turn down free food? We enjoyed an entertaining night of swapping scary stories and daring each other to do stupid things, culminating in them managing to convince me to eat one of their Pecha berries. I stupidly accepted the dare, thinking that someone must have laced my dinner in all kinds of alcohol, and grabbed one of them, stuffing it into my mouth I instantly regretted every life biting into it.

I ran outside the tent and threw up my dinner, and possibly every other meal I had eaten since the age of 9, into a nearby bush, listening to the girls laughing their asses off. I joined in on their laughter after realising I had vomited on a sleeping Zigzagoon, which ran off to Arceus-knows-where. I got back into the tent after wiping the rest of it from my mouth and rubbing my hand into as many scented flowers as possible. The laughter quickly died down when I brought up the sleeping arrangements.

"So, where are you two sleeping?" I asked, flattening out my sleeping bag.

"Well," Cinder started. "I was gonna sleep on the tarp and rest my head on the pillow."  
"Fair enough." I turned to face Shinobi. "Where are you gonna sleep?"  
"I'll tell you once you're in your sleeping bag." I gave her a funny look, but nodded anyway. "Turn away, you two." I said, starting to slip out of my clothes. Cinder gave an immature grin but turned away regardless. Shinobi, however, seemed to be determined to turn around and get a look at me getting undressed. I knew she was doing it, and I knew why she was doing it. It didn't matter to me. I already knew how she felt about me. The only problem was that she didn't know that. Luckily, I was able to avoid asking any awkward questions and told the girls that it was safe once I had gotten into my sleeping bag and had the pillow under my head. Cinder collapsed onto the ground and put her head onto the pillow.

"Okay, Shinobi, I did what you asked. So, where are you going to be sleeping tonight?" I asked her. She answered with her actions, jumping onto me and curling up on my lap. "Well, okay then. Goodnight, Cinder." She chirped in response, drifting off to sleep. "Goodnight, Shinobi."  
"Goodnight, Jack." She whispered, smiling and falling asleep. I soon followed suit.


	3. Chapter 3

I awoke smiling and scratched the Froakie resting on my lap behind the ears, watching her make little kicks in her sleep. One of the kicks hit a very, very hard and pointy object that she seemed to be curled around.

"Oh shit." I whispered trying to think of things that would kill my morning wood before she had time to wake up. "Um, Growlithes, nuns, my mother, Tierno-"  
Ah. There we are.

I sighed with relief as Shinobi awoke after I had killed my arousal, turning to face me and smiling. "Good morning, Shinobi. Sleep well?" I asked her, smiling back.

"Very well, thank you." She got up and zipped open the tent, letting in the sunlight and waking up Cinder. "I'm just going to go and ... use the bathroom. Excuse me." She rushed out and into some bushes.

"Sure you are, Shinobi." Cinder muttered, dragging herself to her feet. "Yeah, I don't believe that for a second."  
"Why not?" I asked her sternly. She chuckled a little. "You're hiding something."

"Indeed I am." She jumped on top of me and looked down to make eye contact.

"First off, I know you were listening to our conversation outside the tent." My throat dried up. "Don't worry. She doesn't know. To explain where she's actually gone, I need to break her privacy, but you already know the rest of it, so it doesn't really matter if we keep one more little secret between us. We woke up a little earlier and discovered that she was lying on top of ... well, you know." All the colour drained from my face. "She asked me if that was because of her, and I said probably not. However, she didn't stop thinking about it, and now I presume that she's gone out to, shall we say, relieve herself. Release some pent-up stress." She looked at my confused face. "Wow, you really are a brick wall, aren't you?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'll tell you later. Anyway, she's become a bit interested in it. In you."

"So, what you're saying is that my Pokemon wants to get in my trousers. How bleeding wonderful." I sighed and started packing away our things.

"You _were_ thinking about her in your sleep, weren't you?" I sighed and gave a weak nod. "Don't fret. She doesn't suspect a thing, and your secret is safe with me."

"I really don't trust you, all things considered." I told her. She frowned.

"I guessed." I smiled at her before pulling out her Pokeball and returning her to it.

All sorts of conflicting thoughts were going through my head. I knew that my attraction to Shinobi was not one-sided, but she didn't. For all she knew, I had no deeper feelings for her, and that I was completely uninterested in me. However, she obviously had her suspicions. I knew that one of us was going to snap eventually. Due to the fact that I would go to jail if anything physical happened between us, I knew that she was going to end up being the one. All I had to do was ignore it. Wait it out. The time for us to confess our feelings for each other would come in time, and until that point, I would just go on as normal. Once I had my thoughts straight, Shinobi came back, looking especially flustered.

"Someone took their sweet time finding somewhere to do their business." I teased, knowing exactly what the actual reason was.  
"I wanted to get some privacy. It would be kind of degrading if someone saw what I was doing." She lied - well, not about what happened, but the context in which it happened. "So, we're not eating breakfast?" I shook my head, but passed a berry to her.  
"I'm not. You can, if you want. I haven't got anything left besides tinned fish." She smiled at the berry and started to eat it.

"I'd offer you some if I didn't know it would make you throw up." She said in between bites of Pecha. I picked her up and put her on my shoulder so that I would be able to travel while she chowed down.

After some time, I realised that we had passed into Santalune Forest, and that it barely was a forest. I did, however, come across Serena's tent. Peeking my head inside and instantly regretting the action, I continued on my way.

"We never saw that, Shinobi. Agreed?" I told her. She gave me a look that seemed to say 'what didn't we see?', followed by a wink. The trudging through the boring-ass death forest filled with annoying-as-hell bugs, as I so eloquently nicknamed it, led to a few uninteresting and incredibly one-sided battles with some incompetent kids. "This forest looked much bigger from the outside." I muttered as we stepped through the forest exit and found Tierno, Trevor, Shauna and surprisingly, Serena, standing outside and having a conversation.

"Hey! Jack! Over here!" Tierno yelled to me, waving like a crazy person. Knowing that there no chance of escaping this time, I walked over to the group of madballs and joined their conversation.

"Um ... Hello, Jack." Trevor said quietly. I waved my response.

"Okay, now that we're all here, I have something to give you guys." She pulled out four cheap notebooks from her bag. "These are Adventure Rules. They're ten tips from me on how to be the best trainer you can be." She handed them out, stopping as she got to me and giving a very 'I know what you did' face, before shoving the booklet into my grasp.

"Thanks, Serena! I'll treasure it forever!" Shauna yelled, squeezing the small notebook. Trevor and Tierno gave each other weird looks, but expressed their gratitude anyway. However, due to my hunger, I was in an especially dick-ish mood that morning.

I flicked through the notebook, found nothing of substance, value or help, except for a page in the back that had Serena's phone number on it. I laughed and tore it out, putting it in my back pocket for later use. After a quick thought and an evil grin, I expressed my own gratitude.

"Oh, a notebook full of useless tips. Golly gee, this sure is great." I pulled a box of matches out of my bag and took one of them out. "And now, fire." I scraped the match across the box, lighting it and holding it to the notebook, laughing coldly as it burned before their eyes.

"What the fuck are you doing? That was a gift from me, you asshole!" Serena yelled, grabbing the book from my grasp, throwing it to the ground and stomping on it to put the fire out.

"Something that's shit is still shit, even if it was a gift." Tierno had burst into laughter by this point. Even Shauna and Trevor were chuckling a little. Serena just stared me down, looking like she was going to gut me at any moment. "And with that taken care of, it's time for me to go." I started to walk away from the bewildered crowd, but ended up with my face in the mud as Serena had punched me in the back of the head.  
"What the hell is your problem? I give you a gift, and you burn it? You're terrible!" She cried, slapping my laughing face. "Answer me!"  
"I know that you'd like to think that we're friends, but that's completely false. I don't like any of you people, so take your gifts and shove them up your asses, because I really don't care." I watched uncaringly as she ran away from me, tears forming in her eyes.

"Um, Jack, that was a bit excessive, don't you think?" Shinobi asked as I wiped some of the mud from my face.

"I'm tired, angry and these people won't shut the hell up. They're lucky I didn't use those matches to set fire to their clothes." I muttered, standing up and putting her back on my shoulder. "I'm sorry if you disapprove, but you're going to have to get used to it."

"But ..." I rubbed the side of her head as she tried to criticize me. "Well, alright then. Just don't do anything you'll regret." I nodded at her and started looking around the area. "What's next, then?" She asked, wondering why we were standing around.

"Trying to see if there are any interesting Pokemon around here." I noticed a small hopping blur in my peripheral vision and looked over at it. There was an Azurill looking at me. Its eyes widened upon noticing me, and started hopping towards me slowly. Truthfully, I was terrified. Every time it hopped towards me I took a step back. Eventually, I stopped stepping away and pulled out my Pokedex. I pointed it at the creature, and it displayed some information about it. I checked its stats. 190.

I dropped to the floor in laughter. The Azurill looked at me confusedly and continued hopping toward me. I didn't even care at that point. I just got up and looked at the little thing.

"Why are you laughing? Fear me!" The Azurill yelled, jumping into me and knocking me to the ground. It hurt. Badly. With the knowledge that the little bundle of murder in front of me actually posed some sort of threat, I rolled away from it and got to my feet.

"You're adorable." I teased. It looked rather mad. I pulled Cinder's Pokeball from my bag and threw it up into the air, letting her out.

"Alright, boss! What needs to die?" She shouted proudly, circling the Azurill.

"Just soften up the Azurill over there so I can catch it." She nodded and flew back to my side. "Hit it with a Quick Attack. Just, don't go too hard." She paid no heed to the last part of my sentence and darted to the pissed-off Fairy, smashing into it and leaving a dent in a nearby tree which it was sent careening into. "Well, fuck. I think it's dead." I put Shinobi down and ran towards the injured Azurill, my worries spirited away when it dragged itself up and tried to smack me with its tail. It didn't hurt that time. "I think you got it, Cinder." I returned Cinder to her Pokeball and threw my spare one at the Azurill.

It didn't go inside. Instead, I was met with a very confused Vivillion looking around.

"I think that one of the Pokeballs that Serena dropped wasn't as empty as I thought." I whispered to Shinobi, who had walked back over to me and jumped on to my shoulder. The Vivillion turned around and looked at me.

"Human! Where is my trainer?" It yelled at me. I shrugged and pointed toward the gate to Santalune City. "So, she dropped my Pokeball. Again. It's like she doesn't even care about me." The Vivillion, seemingly a male, sighed and started flapping his wings, gliding over to the gate and stopping. "Human. Can you pass me my Pokeball?" I threw the ball at it and it caught it in its tiny feet. "Thank you, human. I'll look forward to battling you in the future." He flew off, leaving me with the problem of having a heavily injured Azurill at my feet and nothing to put it in.

"Jack, we need to get it to a Pokemon Center. It'll die if we leave it here." I nodded to Shinobi and bent over to pick the Azurill up, hesitating after making eye contact.

"Okay, little guy, I'm gonna pick you up and get you fixed up, okay?" It reluctantly nodded and allowed me to pick the poor thing up. After the Azurill accidentally spread its legs a little too wide in an effort to get comfortable, I noticed that it was a female. We both noticed that we were looking at each other and broke eye contact in embarrassment. I ran toward the Santalune City gate and toward the nearest Pokemon Center.

Roughly an hour later, I had given her into the Pokemon Center and bought some food fit for human consuption. At that time, I was sitting in the lobby of the Center waiting to hear of her fate. I looked up and saw that the nurse was holding a tray out to me with a single Pokeball on it.

"We were able to get your Azurill going again." I sighed in relief at the nurse's words. "We asked her, and she said that we could put her in a Pokeball and give her to you. With that in mind, you now have your very own Azurill! Congratulations!" I picked the ball off of the tray and examined it closely. "You're a lucky guy - that Azurill has the Huge Power ability, which will make it far more powerful in battle!" I considered the meaning of what she had said, and decided to make the Azurill my next Pokemon, if it could really perform as well as the nurse was implying. "We're sorry for keeping you here so late. We have some spare rooms for rent, if you'd be interested." She said, pointing to some doors in the back.

"How much for the night?" I asked her.

"No charge. It's complimentary." I thanked her, picked up my bag and carried it through one of the doors, shutting it behind me and sitting on one of the beds, putting my bag on the spare. I took out the three Pokeballs and released the three girls so that they could get accquainted with each other.

"So, you three are my new friends, huh?" The Azurill asked. We all nodded. "The name's Azure. I hope, for your sakes, that we can get along." Shinobi huffed a little. Cinder just sat in place, fantasising, and I just looked at her.

"I'm Jack. These two are Shinobi and Cinder. Now, I think it's about time we went to bed." Cinder sighed, but Shinobi and Azure had no problem with it. "There are two beds, so I'd say that you three can sleep in one," I proposed, removing my bag from the spare bed and gesturing to it. "And I'll sleep in this one." I made them turn around and slipped into my pajamas as we all piled into our respective beds. Azure and Cinder drifted off almost instantly, but Shinobi seemed not to be able to sleep.

"Hey, Jack?" She whispered to me through the darkness.

"What is it?" I whispered back.

"Can I ... um," She hesitated. "Can I come and sleep in your bed?"

"Why?" I asked her, knowing the reason already and just playing dumb.

"I'd just feel a whole lot more comfortable next to you. You can say no if you want." I mulled over the possible reprocussions before moving from the middle of the bed and patting the side. "Are you sure?" She jumped off of the bed and hopped onto mine.

"Yeah. I'm sure." I lifted her up and put her under the covers, resting her head on the pillow. "Goodnight, Shinobi." I told her, exchanging smiles.

"Goodnight." She froze for a minute before leaning over and giving me a kiss on my cheek, turning away in embarrassment. I gently took hold of her and rolled her over to face me, giving her a kiss on the forehead. I could see her blushing even in near-darkness.

"You don't need to be worried. We're all friends here." I told her, brushing the side of her head. She smiled a little before getting closer to me and falling asleep. "Well, I say friends." I joined her slumber.


	4. Chapter 4

I was awoken the next morning by Shinobi taking the covers off of me and shaking me lightly.

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" I stage-whispered to her, giving her a stern look as she retreated with an awkward chuckle. After dressing in the corner and waking Azure and Cinder, I called for everyone. "Okay, everyone, gather round." I yelled, getting Azure and Cinder to drag themselves out of bed. "Santalune City has a Pokemon Gym in it. I'm pretty sure that the owner uses Bug Pokemon. I think you know where this is going." They all nodded and Cinder hopped onto my shoulder triumpantly.

"Oh yeah, someone's going to be kicking some ass today!" She boasted as I returned Azure and Shinobi, hoisting my bag over my shoulder and sighing. "What's wrong, Jack? I thought you'd be excited!" She yelled, pecking me in an aggravating manner.

"You know I'm not doing any of this out of choice. I'm going to go through, beat some of the gyms and return home, tell my mother to fuck off and die for throwing me out the house, and retire as a trainer." Cinder seemed shocked by my statement. "When I return home, I'll release Azure and whoever else I catch back into the wild, ask Shinobi what she wants to do, then go back with you to how my life used to be." Cinder looked annoyed. "I'll grow up, get a job, buy a house, and be _normal_. I don't want this to be the way I live." I sighed again and pushed open the door, walking out of the Pokemon Center and into the street. "Now where's this gym. I want to get this over with." Cinder pointed in the vague direction and I started walking at a brisk pace.

"We're here, Cinder." I stared up at the museum-like building, unimpressed by the spectacle. I was more concerned with the girl next to the building trying to fit roller-skates on a Zigzagoon. She looked over to me, blinked once, and diverted her attention back to it. "What the hell are you doing to that Zigzagoon?" I asked, looking at the scared creature at her feet.

"I'm trying to teach my Zigzagoon how to skate." She said, frustrated at the Zigzagoon, who seemed to be tripping over his own feet in an effort to stand up. "What's it to you?"  
"Well, I don't really care. All I'm asking is - is that really practical?"  
"Nah." She muttered, getting more annoyed by her klutzy racoon. "Well, unless I can get the bloody guy to stand up. If that happens, he'll be much faster in battle." She gestured to the racoon, who had managed to get used to standing and moving about.  
"Pretty sure that's not legal, or even functional, but whatever. I'm going in the gym." I started walking towards the building, but she grabbed my by the back of my jacket and pulled me towards her.

"Not yet. I'm challenging you to a Pokemon Battle." She took off her rollerskates and stared at me.

"Why? Have you got any other Pokemon besides the comedy routine?" She looked at me angrily. "No? Then you're not worth my time." I was about to walk into the building, but the Zigzagoon managed to get itself moving properly and bit my leg. "OW! Get your bloody rodent off of me!" I grabbed Azure's Pokeball and threw it behind the frenzied creature. "Get this blasted thing off of me, Azure!" I screamed, sighing with relief as she effortlessly tossed the thing aside with her tail. I stood up and grabbed the Zigzagoon, throwing it at its trainer's head. "And stay down!" I put Azure back in her Pokeball and walked inside the building.

The interior was laughable. There were a few paintings of bugs hanging from the walls, and the building appeared to be so run down that there was a hole in the ground with what looked like a web in it. However, upon closer inspection I realised that it was some sort of nylon thread, and that the hole led down to the Pokemon Gym proper.

"What a weird design." Cinder chirped, staring down the chasm.

"You can say that again." I muttered, grabbing her beak to stop her from doing just that. With nothing to lose, I grabbed the thread and used the walls of the hole to rappel down the hole. However, the hole didn't go all the way into the cave. Instead, there was a large fall onto what felt like a spider web. I got up and brushed myself off. "This is the strangest place I've ever seen." I whispered, looking around the nature-filled cave, realising that I didn't care and walking across the web. I walked past trainers who took one look at Cinder and decided not to throw their lives away, eventually coming across a tent-like structure at the back. I peered inside to see a woman wearing incredibly bulky cargo shorts taking pictures of a familiar-looking Vivillion.

"Viola, he's arrived." He said, gesturing to me. Before I had time to wonder what kind of name Viola was, she turned her gaze to me.

"Ah! You must be that trainer my Vivillion was talking about! I'm Viola, but you knew that already. What's your name?" I looked at her quizzically but told her regardless. "So, Jack. As you have probably figured out, I'm the Gym Leader of Santalune City. My name's Viola. I'm a photographer of bug Pokemon." She proudly stated. I stifled a laugh.

"Someone's career went downhill." Cinder whispered into my ear.

"Yes, um ... I do this on my spare time to help pay for my equipment. However, just because I'm not a seasoned battler doesn't mean that I'm not worth your time." She shouted, walking away and pulling a Pokeball out of one of her pockets. "I'll show you why!" She yelled, throwing the Pokeball to the ground and releasing a Surskit. I didn't even bother holding back my laughter.

"Okay, what we're you saying again? That not being a seasoned battler doesn't mean that you're not a match for me?" I said, much to the frustration of both her and her Surskit. "Oh, this'll take seconds." I threw out Shinobi's Pokeball, letting her share in the laughter. "Okay, Shinobi. Use-"

"Fell Stinger, Surskit!" Viola yelled, pointing at Shinobi

"Fell Stinger? What the fuck is a-" I watched in amazement as the Surskit slid up to Shinobi and shot a stinger at her from god-knows-where, sending her flying off of the wooden platform and down the chasm. "SHINOBI!" I yelled, running over and peering over the edge.

"I'm alright! There's a net! Don't worry!" She shouted back at me. I sighed, pulled her Pokeball back out and returned her to it. When I turned back, however, the Surskit was glowig some sort of horrible dark-red colour.  
"The fuck is wrong with your Pokemon." I asked her, pulling out Azure's Pokeball and sending her out. "It's glowing red. It that bad? Am I screwed?" Viola nodded.

"Fell Stinger doubles the power of the user if it defeats the opponent with it. Yes, you're very screwed, Jack." She yelled, pointing at Azure and instructing the Surskit to do it again.

"Oh crap. Any last words, Azure?"

Azure shook her head and hopped over to the Surskit. She sighed, took a few deep breaths, whispered something in its ear and kissed it. Almost instantly the red aura around it dissipated and it fell to the ground. "What was that? Did you use Charm?" I asked her, watching her look away and chuckle a little. "Not really. Well, it worked, so it doesn't really matter." She looked at the Surskit, which was still completely out of it. "What next, boss?"  
"Well, the only atacking move you know is Bubble, so use that." She nodded, spraying the Surskit in a series of watery projectiles. Despite not being very effective, the Surskit closed its eyes and accepted its fate. "What the hell was that? One ineffective attack and it's down? That's ..."

"Pathetic?" Cinder continued, reminding me that she was still there.

"Yeah. Then again, Surskit have all the lastability of already-broken biscuits, so I shouldn't be too surprised. Got anything else terrible, Viola?" I teased, putting Azure back in her Pokeball. Viola was at her wit's end.  
"Not bad at all. However, no. I have Vivillion, though." She instructed Vivillion to take her Surskit's place. "How's that?"  
"Much better. Cinder?" She nodded and hopped down to the ground, staring up at the butterfly.

"So, Jack. I said I was going to battle you, and here I am. Don't hold anything back." I shook my head at the Vivillion.

"Alright, Cinder. Use Peck!"  
"Infestation!" Both of our Pokemon flew towards the other. Vivillion flapped its wings at a brisk pace, sending out a cloud of spores at Cinder, who flew right past them and stabbed him with her beak. He dropped to the ground, dragging himself back up and precariously standing, half concious. Cinder landed and soon collapsed, small creatures coming up out of the ground and beginnning to eat her. However, she shook them off and stood up.

"What the hell was that? Are you okay?" I asked, concerned, sighing with relief as she nodded her response. "It's almost gone, and I don't want that to happen again. Use Quick Attack." She went back into the air and seemed to disappear, re-appearing behind Vivillion and dashing into him, knocking him into the ground.

"Well, I guess you win." Viola muttered, grabbing a strange badge from a box in the corner. "This is my gym's badge, the Bug Badge. It's a sign that you beat me." She handed me the badge. I inspected it before putting it in my pocket.

"Uh, thanks, I guess." I murmured, walking towards a set of stairs that seemed to be a shortcut out of the gym.

"Wait." The Vivillion called, getting back on its feet. "Can Cinder stay here a little while? I'd like to train with her for a while." I considered the proposal, but found myself not having to do so, as Cinder had made the decision for me and flown down to him.

"I'll catch up with you later, boss!" She yelled as I walked up the hidden staircase and came up to a dead end. I pushed the dead end, I realised it was a painting. And it smashed.

I ran out the building as fast as possible.

When I considered myself to be a safe distance away from the crime scene, I sent out Azure and Shinobi.

"Okay girls, it's not late yet, but it's probably too late to start travelling. Plus, Cinder's down at the Pokemon Gym training." I quickly showed them my badge to clear up any confusion. "With all that in mind, I'm gonna say that today you can do whatever you want in and around the city. Go nuts." The girls took a moment to think.

"I'm going for a walk back on Route 3. I need to clear my head." Shinobi told me, walking away.

"Well, Jack. I suppose it's just you and me, then. I haven't got anything particular in mind, so I'll just go along with you." We exchanged short smiles before walking off.

The next few hours were rather eventful. We went and ate dinner, visited the local clothing store and bought Azure a black baseball cap that she was obsessing over, and spent the rest of our time walking around the small city bonding. Eventually, when it got dark, I decided that I'd gotten close enough to her to give her a hug. I got down on my knees and gave her a brief hug, but pulled away when I realised that I was holding a Marill.

"What's the matter? Is there something on my face?" She asked, feeling around her face with her arms before stopping and staring at them in confusion. "I HAVE ARMS?!" She screamed in surprise. "When did those get there? ... Oh, right. I must have evolved into a Marill." We looked at each other as the cogs turned in her head. "Wait - I'm only supposed to evolve when I make a deep emotional connection with someone." She used her newly-acquired arms to adjust her cap and smiled at me. "Thanks, Jack. I'm glad I've got a friend like you." We hugged properly, now that she had arms to reciprocate it.

"Well, now that we've got that cleared up, shall we go get Shinobi?" I asked her, standing back up and walking off with her.

We sat down at the entrance to Route 3 and waited. We waited for a good hour, and there was nothing. Then we waited some more. Eventually, after it had gotten dark, Shinobi decided to make an appearance, much to the shock of both of us.

"So, you sure took your sweet time with your walk." I said, gritting my teeth. "Where the hell were you? We've been waiting for hours!"  
"I'm sorry. I really lost track of time. I promise it won't happen again." She muttered, looking at the floor. After calming myself down, I hoisted her onto my shoulder and woke Azure up. "So, I see that Azure evolved. Guessing that you two must've had quite the fun in my absence." She pointed out, trying to break the near-impenetrable ice.

"Yeah." Azure said calmly, still trying to wake herself up.

"So ... what now?" She asked me.

"Well, due to the fact that someone managed to waste all our fucking time, the Pokemon Center's rooms are now all filled, so we're sleeping in the tent." I muttered, pulling the tarp and pegs from my bag. "Figure out the sleeping arrangements between yourselves, my time has better uses." I told them, starting to pitch the tent.

"Hey, Azure? Why are you wearing a hat?" Shinobi asked, inspecting the cap on the Marill's head. "I kinda like it. It suits you."

"It was just a present from Jack. Speaking of, tent done yet?"

"Yep." I shouted, rolling the last of the tarp across the grass and putting the sleeping bag inside, in addition to my pillow. I also pulled another pillow and a blanket from my bag which I had bought earlier in the day.

"Okay, with these in mind, who's sleeping where?" Without a word, Azure grabbed the extra pillow and blanket, set them up next to the sleeping bag and got inside, lying on the pillow and covering herself with the small blanket. "Okay then. Shinobi, what about you?"

"I'll show you when you're in your sleeping bag." She whispered, as Azure had already fallen asleep. I got into the sleeping bag and slipped my jacket, undershirt, hat and jeans off.

"Okay, hit me. Where are you sleeping tonight?"

"Well, this may sound strange, but can I ... get inside your sleeping bag with you?" My eyes widened. She was making her move.

"But, I'm practically naked."  
"Yeah. You are." She smiled and hopped over to me. "Does it matter? Like you said, we're all friends here." I frowned.

Using my own words against me, was she? How rude.

"Fine. Because you're my friend, I'll let you get inside here. However, you have to face away from me the whole night, and if you touch me once you get inside, you're sleeping outside." She reluctantly accepted the compromise, gently trying to get herself into the sleeping bag. To stop myself from laughing and waking Azure up, I gently grabbed her sides and managed to get her into the prison of heat. "Satisfied?" I asked, kissing her forehead and stopping her from rolling over.

"I thought you said that I'd have to face away from you the whole night?" She inquired, staring into my warm eyes. "Or did you change your mind?" I nodded, carefully bringing my arm around her and holding her. We fell asleep in each others embrace.


	5. Chapter 5

After an awkward night's sleep, I woke up with a start when I heard the zipper on the tent open and close. After affirming that Shinobi was still awake, I carefully pulled my way out of the sleeping bag and put my clothes back on. I slowly unzipped the tent door and crawled outside, zipping it back up afterwards. When I got out, Azure was sitting on the grass outside, deep in thought. She was thrown out of the deep thought when I sat down next to her.

"Doing alright?" I asked her, rubbing the perpetually-wet fur on her hatless head.

"Yeah. Just thinking." She replied, moving away from me slightly.

"What about?" I reduced the distance between us back to what it was before. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I don't want you to think I'm pressuring you." She sighed a little.

"Well, considering that it's about you, I think it would be better if I didn't tell you. I can't risk telling Shinobi, and Cinder is too much of a tattle. It would be safer if I kept it to myself." She explained, putting one arm to her face and wiping some sweat off of it.

"Why can't you risk telling Shinobi?"  
"Because she has ... quite close connections to you, to put it in a way I hope you can understand." I rolled the words around in my head before arriving at a worrying conclusion.

"Azure, there's nothing going on between us." She gave me a look that seemed to say that she didn't believe me. "I'm serious. There's no deeper connection there. She wishes there was, but-"  
"What do you mean, she wishes there was? Is she in love with you?" She pressured.

_Oh shit, I've really done it this time._

"Look, Azure. I'd rather not talk about it." She chuckled a little and rested one of her arms on the hand I had on the ground closest to her.

"Look at us. So many secrets, such little time." Her words left me confused.

"What do you mean, 'such little time'? What are you hiding now." She looked me straight in the eyes. "Azure, you're scaring me. What's going on. Please, tell me. I'm begging you."  
"So, she really didn't tell you. Well, according to the avian grape vine, apparently Shinobi is planning on asking for permission to leave the group." She seemed surprised that her statement wasn't shocking me. "You knew that?"  
"I accidentally listened in on one of Shinobi's and Cinder's conversations, in which she revealed both her romantic interest in me and the difficulty of her decision as to whether or not she wanted to leave and go back to the wild." I explained.

"Ah. Good. Well, apparently she's going to stay with you long enough to evolve, confess her feelings for you and then ask to leave." I felt a few tears form in my eyes.

"Why? Why would she tell me how she feels and then immediately leave?" I asked, trying not to let my emotions fly in front of her.

"Well, after how badly she did in the Gym battle yesterday, she's started thinking that her affections for you are getting in the way of her battles, and because of that she's holding you back." I looked at her confusedly. "She's not far from evolving. If it doesn't happen today, it'll happen tomorrow. You really don't have much time with her. Treasure it. Make it last." I got back to my feet and started using the tent zipper repeatedly to get Shinobi's attention.

"Okay, I'm getting up!" She yelled from inside the tent as I started unhooking the tent pegs, lifting the tent off of her.

Within time, we were all packed up and ready to go. I decided that since the atmosphere around the three of us had grown rather awkward, we'd go back and get Cinder, in hopes of getting some light-heartedness around us. We ended up entering the Gym before opening hours and walking through the secret passageway, now having the painting replaced with a far more disposable one of a Weedle. Fuck Weedles. We went down the spiraling staircase and saw Cinder panting in front of a downed Vivillion. Apparently, her training had been so vigorous that she had gained enough battling experience to evolve into a Fletchinder.

With the whole team back together, and after explaining the baseball cap and Azure's evolution, we were back on the road. I had been reliably informed that Route 4 was basically just a straight shot to the next city. The road, however, was filled with gardeners, roller-skaters and annoying small children. Oh, joy of joys. In addition to some admittedly helpful battle experience, it had the unfortunate side-effect of making me have to face just how little time I could have had left with Shinobi. She was acting far more affectionate towards me, giving me occasional kisses on the cheek and whispering things into my ear in the down-time between battles. In addition to what she had asked me for last night, I knew that she was getting ready to confess her feelings properly to me. I didn't know what she planned on saying to me or what she was going to ask me to do, but I had a pretty good idea that it was going to be something that if anyone found out that it happened I would get arrested. I had to face the very real possibility that she was going to go all the way with me. However, I came to the realisation that I wasn't dreading it. Quite the contrary, in fact. I knew that I was in love with her too, even if I wasn't going to let that on. Instead, I decided that I would hold on to my feelings and see if she was really going to leave. However, I didn't have to wonder for that long, as a short ways from the gargantuan Lumiose City, Shinobi became enveloped in a strange glowing light. She seemed to phase off of my shoulder and re-appear next to me, far taller and looking completely different.

"Well, Shinobi, looks like you finally evolved." Cinder said, landing on my shoulder in the place Shinobi used to occupy. "Guess that means you're walking from now on. What a shame." She teased, sticking her tongue out of her beak.

"Shut it, Cinder. She doesn't have to listen to you." Azure told her, leaning behind my head to make eye contact with the bird.

"Oooh, someone's fiesty." Cinder countered. "Besides, you should probably be walking too. You're so damn fat, I'm surprised Jack can even walk with you on his shoulder." With those words, Azure shot a jet of water at her, sending her barreling off of my shoulder and onto the cold hard ground. "Ow! Blasted Fire typing!" She yelled, flying up and landing back on my shoulder.

"Shut up, damn it!" I yelled, getting everyone to stop in place. "Shinobi, congrats on evolving. Azure, don't let Cinder get to you. Cinder, you're an asshole. Stop it." Everyone nodded. "Anyway, we're here." I pointed up to the gate to the giant city, everyone else staring up at it in awe whilst I returned them to their Pokeballs.

I walked inside the entrance to the city and was met with a very angry-looking Serena waiting for me. She grabbed my jacket and threw me to a nearby wall.

"Yes, it's nice to see you, too." I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Shut up. Why are you here already?" She asked sternly, forcing me against the wall some more.

"Well, there's a Pokemon Gym in Lumiose City. Fill in the blanks." She laughed a little before applying more pressure. "Are you trying to kill me or something? If you are, make it quick. I've got an appointment in Hell in an hour that I don't want to miss." She let go of me and turned away. "I could've gotten out of that at any time, you know."  
"Why are you incapable of taking anything seriously? How did you even beat the Santalune City Gym?" She bellowed, staring me daggers.

"To answer your first question, because unlike you I can take a joke."

"How is burning a book I gave to you as a gift a joke?" She shouted.

"It's a special brand of humour I've dubbed 'fuck you' humour. To answer your second question, magic. Expelliarmus, Shazam and whatever." She backed off slightly. "Any real reason why you were waiting to murder me at the entrance, or are you just comp-letely mad?" She sighed.

"The professor who told me to give you a Pokemon and Pokedex said that he wanted to meet you in person, for some stupid reason. Now come on." She grabbed me by the wrist and practically dragged me through the streets towards a small building. "Go inside." She let go, and I tried to walk away before she punched me in the stomach and pointed back to the building. Reluctantly, I walked inside.

After going up an elevator, I was met with a very tall and very French man.

"Hello! You must be Jack!" He proclaimed, grabbing me by the shoulder and dragging me round a corner. "I trust that you've been taking good care of that Pokedex I gave you?"

"Well, it hasn't exploded in my face yet, so I suppose that I have." He laughed.

"I like you already, Jack. It's nice to have someone with a sense of humour around here." He opened a small compartment on a machine with three Pokeballs in it. "Now, can I see what Pokemon you've caught on your way here?" I pulled three Pokeballs of my own out of my bag and passed them to him. "Well then, let's see what you've caught on your long way here."  
"It wasn't exactly long. I passed through two tiny towns, some grass, a forest and a road. It wasn't exactly the longest of trips." He laughed again. Easily amused it seems. However, he eventually threw the three Pokeballs to the ground. He then bent down and then examined them all closely.

"You've got a fine set of Pokemon here, Jack." He picked up Cinder and smiled at her. "You must be Cinder! Your owner has told me a whole lot about you." He rubbed the feathers on her tail.

"So, you know my mother, then." I asked him, taking back Cinder's Pokeball and returning her to it.

"Who, Grace? She's an old friend of mine. When I heard that she and her son were moving to Kalos, I got back in touch and asked if I could give you a Pokemon and ... have you do some work for me. She told me that you wouldn't be interested, I changed her mind, and here we are. However, I wasn't expecting your strongest Pokemon to be a house pet. Shows how much I know." He laughed again. This man was starting to piss me off.

"Hey! I resent that!" Azure shouted up at him. He bent down and smiled his goofy fucking smile at her.

"Well, hello, little guy! What's your name?"

"Azure. Also, I'm a girl, don't touch the cap and if you try to pick me up, I'll break you." She calmly stated, much to the professor's surprise.

"Well, Azure. I won't, then." I double-taked.

"Wait, you can understand Pokemon?" I asked, putting Azure away to prevent any injuries.

"Indeed I can. I know you and Serena can, too. It's a rather rare gift to have, and one of the reasons why I wanted to give you a Pokemon. Speaking of, where's Shinobi?"

...

"Over here, pest." Shinobi whispered to him from behind.

"Gah! Why are you doing that?"  
"Revenge, for the years of torture." She said, walking into view.

"What torture?" He asked, concerned.

"You kept me locked up in this fucking lab for years, running your damn experiments on me, never letting me go outside for fear that I'd run away, it was a living hell." She wiped a tear from her face as she yelled at him.  
"I know. I regret my actions, which is why I had you given to this young man here." I was confused. "I knew that this boy would take you along, and show you a life that you couldn't live here." He continued, moving to hug her, but deciding against it.

"Wait, I don't get it. You mean me specifically?" He nodded. "Then why did you give me a choice?" He chuckled lightly before bringing me to a large window that occupied a large area of the building's eastmost wall.

"Ever hear of a little thing called fate, Jack?" I facepalmed.

"So, to work out the wellbeing of your Pokemon, you used ancient tribal crap. That seems about right." He laughed his obnoxious fucking laugh again.

"Yep. Anyway, I've kept you rather long. Why not spend the rest of the day exploring Lumiose? I've made reservations at a 4-star hotel for you! Kick back and relax." I returned an unwilling Shinobi to her Pokeball and made for the door. "One other thing. Don't bother heading for the gym. It's shut, and you'll never find it anyway." I sighed and went back down the elevator, leaving the building.

Outside, I spent almost the rest of the day buying shit I didn't need, which was to be expected in a city as large and bustling as Lumiose. I even had a complete change in outfit. I managed to convince the local clothing store that I was 'stylish' enough for them to accept my damn money. I eventually made my way to the hotel that the professor had said he had made reservations for, and as luck had it, he had. Not the best room, but who can argue with the price of free. I made my way up to the room and put my bag down, resting on the first proper bed I had slept in for days. After getting my energy back, I threw out Shinobi's Pokeball and prepared for the worst.

"Don't bring Azure and Cinder in here. I need to talk to you." _Oh shit. Here it comes._

"Well, what do you need to talk to me about?" _Maybe I'm wrong._

"You may have noticed that I've been increasingly more affectionate around you." _Fuck. I'm not._

"Yeah, I have noticed that, actually. Care to explain?" _No backing out now._

"I know what I'm about to tell you may not seem truthful at first, but I need you to promise to hear me out, okay?" _Nod. Nod! Nod, you fucking head!_

"Okay, I promise." _I'm not ready for this._

"Jack, I think that I'm ..." _Here it comes. She's taking a deep breath. Don't sweat. It'll only make things worse._ "In love with you." _There it is. Well, crap. She said it._

"What do you mean by that?" _Please be wrong. Please be wrong. Please be wrong._

"I mean, in a romantic sense." _No. No. No. Decline. Say SOMETHING, damnit! _"I'm going to show you what I mean, okay?" _Please don't. This is wrong. Illegal. Everything about this is wrong. All of it. Say no! Say it! It's not hard! Wait. Fuck. I think it is. All aspects._

"Um, okay." _**FUCKING MIND!**_ "Even though I have a pretty good idea." _Yeah. Sure. That'll lighten the mood. Idiot._

"Alright."

"You want to _what?_" I said in false disbelief, feigning shock as not to give up the fact that I already knew what was coming.

"Well, it's supposed to be the most intense way of showing your love for someone, isn't it?"

"I ... I guess so, but I really don't think this is the right way to go about things."

"Jack, if you love me back, then you'll at least try and humour me here. Okay?" She smiled slightly, but I saw something in her, something that looked like despair.

"Fine." She lit up slightly. "We'll give it a go and see where it takes us."

"Good. Glad to hear it." With a mischevious grin, she hopped on to the bed and reached for the light switch. _No turning back now, I guess._

A/N: I went through this chapter multiple times, reworking things I didn't like, but somehow I'm still not happy with the final product. When you've planned out something quite far in your head, every time that plan changes you've got to go back and change things. Gets annoying after a while.

Cheese. There. That lighten the mood for you? Good. Enjoy the new chapter, ya sods.


End file.
